8-21-09 Field Updates

8-21-09 Field Updates

August 21, 2009

Gary Lesoing, Extension Educator in Nemaha County: The county has received significant rainfall the past few weeks which has been beneficial to corn and soybeans. Some areas received hail and wind damage the past couple of weeks. With all the rain, cool weather, and humid conditions we are seeing more diseases develop in soybeans. A couple of diseases relatively new to the area are white mold and sudden death syndrome.

We also are finding low levels of soybean aphids in soybeans that are increasing with the cool weather. High levels ranged from 100 to 150 aphids per plant. We also are seeing an increase in bean leaf beetle populations, although they are not high yet. Soybeans are in the R5-R6 stage and corn is in the dough to dent stage. Some corn is showing signs of nitrogen deficiency. Significant nitrogen fertilizer was probably lost due to the wet conditions we had this summer, creating nitrogen deficiencies in some corn fields.

Paul Hay, Extension Educator in Gage County: Southeast Nebraska crops look good overall. Earlier hail and wind storms are likely to make harvest troublesome for some operators. Down corn, poor stalk quality, weeds, and stalk breakage are all likely scenarios. The corn crop is 7 to 10 days late due to lack of heat units. Dryland beans north of Highway 136 are stalled due to lack of rain.

Robert Tigner, Extension Educator in Chase County:We've had hail and wind damage and expect the county to be designated an ag disaster. Green snap is showing up in the southwest portion of the county. All acres of sugar beets were hailed. Very little foliage is left to develop sugar in the tuber. All popcorn acres are dead, and all dry bean production has been destroyed, except one small area. Potato acres have recovered some foliage; some test diggings have shown tubers about half the normal size. The hail storms that have gone through the county have hit the corn growing area. Most of the people I have talked to have lost at least half of their irrigated circles and the rest are damaged. HWY 6 is very close to the boundary of most hail and wind damage; areas west and south of there have been damaged since June 6 and continue to get hit.

Dundy County doesn't appear to have total crop damage to reach the 30% crop yield reduction for a federal disaster declaration. Chase County will likely have more than a 30% reduction for corn production and some crops are near 100% reduction. The range in both counties looks very good and the NRCS range specialist here is very pleased since stocking rates have not increased. That will give range some time this year to improve its condition from the past years of drought.

Wayne Ohnesorg, Extension Educator in Pierce County: Last weekend, Norfolk got 2 inches of rain, Pierce got 4 inches, and some other sites had 5 inches. About one in four irrigated soybean fields are being treated for soybean apids and in the Battle Creek fields about half the fields are being treated. Aphid populations are relatively minimal in dryland fields. Producers are taking their hird cutting of alfalfa.

Michael Rethwisch, Extension Educator in Butler County: Most of the growers in my county are fairly happy, having gotten 2-2.3 inches of rain last weekiend. This is really going to help the corn and soybeans and some have shut down their irrigaiton, perhaps for the year. Crops look decent for the most part; however, in some areas corn is yellowing and it appears to have run out of nitrogen or the nitrogen may have been leached away.

Robert Klein, Extension Western Nebraska Crops Specialist at the West Central REC: We've received good rainfall in this area the past several weeks, as well as good rainfall earlier in August and July that will really benefit the crops. Pastures and range haven't looked this good in years. We've had a lot of irrigation in corn, soybean and other crops. Dryland crops really look good this year with the above average rainfall. North Platte is 3 inches above average. Some areas did receive quite a bit of hail this year and growers will need to pay special attention to controlling volunteer to reduce the disease potential for the next crop. We want to make sure we don't have any viable weeds, especially where there was hail. A lot of work is underway to prepare seed beds for wheat seeding this fall.

In Furnas County we're seeing some higher soybean aphid numbers and a field that may have suddent death syndrome.

 

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